Like them or not, laws are there for a reason

Recently in Halifax an individual was issued three tickets as a result of the same incident in which four people were struck in a crosswalk.

The driver was cited for running a red light, failing to yield to pedestrians at a crosswalk and talking on a hand-held cellphone while operating a motor vehicle.

As bad as it was, it could have been easily worse. At only a slightly higher rate of speed, someone could have been killed, or at least more seriously injured.

At the same time, though, you have to admit it’s a pretty sad statement of just how slack we have become as drivers.

One can probably excuse one or the other of the first two offenses, though certainly not both at once. Three at the same time is totally unacceptable.

If you have no choice, and if you’re very careful, it is possible to run a red light right after it has changed from amber – though we recommend you not make a habit of it.

The fact that people are doing it more and more, and that collisions and injuries are happening as a result, should tell us we are too impatient or in too much of a hurry.

And just because everyone does it doesn’t make it right, especially when the law says it’s wrong.

Similarly, not all crosswalk mishaps are necessarily the fault of the driver. We’ve all witnessed pedestrians proceed into a crosswalk without regard for oncoming traffic, how close they are and how difficult it might be to stop, even if drivers are paying attention.

Again, we need to be in complete control of our vehicles at all time, and watchful for pedestrians (not to mention jaywalkers), especially in more congested urban areas.

Which brings us to the cellphone law, which, whether or not you agree with it, is plain common sense, the same as wearing seatbelts in vehicles, requiring younger children to be secured in approved car seats, and not driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Many people probably feel they can talk on a hand-held cellphone and be in control of their vehicle, but the bottom line is it is yet another distraction.

Like any piece of legislation, the cellphone law is aimed at the lowest common denominator. It’s not for the person who can, but for the one who can’t and does anyway.

We find it truly scary that there are people like the individual in Halifax out there behind the wheel who are in so much of a hurry, or are so distracted, so as to turn their vehicles into dangerous weapons.

One can, if one likes, give this individual the benefit of the doubt. It might not be all their fault. But, on the other hand, they did break the law – three times – and within the space of a few seconds.

Someone takes a lot of time to research the need for the laws we have. They don’t do it because they want something to do on an idle afternoon; they do it because they see a need for it.

Talk to a firefighter, a paramedic or a member of the police who has attended the scene of a fatal accident – an accident that could have been prevented – and you won’t have to wonder why we have laws on the books designed to keep us more vigilant.

We may not agree totally with all the laws we have, but they are in place for our benefit and for the benefit of others. It’s up to us as a society to respect them for what they are.